Increasing Venturing Membership With Focus on Recruiting Young Women

1. 2012 NER Area 2 Membership and Marketing Conference March 31, 2012 Increasing Venturing MembershipWith Focus on Recruiting Young Women Presented by: Gina Curtis, National Venturing Vice President Christine Luczka, NER Venturing President Bob Koch, NER Area 2 Venturing Advisor

2. Outline • Purpose of this presentation – Why this topic • Why its critical to Youth Membership Growth • Untapped market opportunity • Baseline: • Current Membership Numbers • National, Regional and Area • Barriers to Female Membership • Challenges to Recruiting Young Women into Venturing • Tremendous Membership Growth Opportunities • Best way to attract Young Women into Venturing • What is it that makes Venturing exciting to Young Women • Overcoming the challenges • Developing an Action Plan ~ And Follow thru • Available Resources

3. Purpose • Review the Current Venturing Membership • Raise the awareness of the decline in Venturing Membership • Understand the Opportunity for Growth • Discuss Challenges to Venturing Membership • Focus on an area where councils can immediately grow their Venturing program • Identifying Solutions for Addressing Challenges

4. And Why This Specific Topic • There is a large market of young women who are looking for leadership opportunities • The Diverse Venturing Program opens itself up to a multitude of interests • Traditional Teenage programs have become less interesting • While somewhat structured, it provides pliability where necessary

5. Current Young Woman/Young Men Split

6. National Membership As of January 2012

7. Northeast Region Membership As of January 2012

8. Membership Rankings As of January 2012

9. Comparison’s By Region As of January 2012

10. Area 2 Venturing Membership As of January 2012

11. Challenges in Joining Venturing • Lack of Awareness • Many Other Activities • Peer Influence • Small Age Window for Membership • Marketing • Appealing to females in non-scouting families • Separation between high-school and college youth

12. What Makes Venturing Exciting For Girls? • GSUSA • Outdoor Opportunities • High Adventure • Chance to Take on Youth Leadership Roles • Safe and Constructive Environment to Interact • Males, Females and Adults • Skills for the Future • Training Opportunities

13. Possible Solutions • Lack of Awareness  Peer-to-Peer Recruitment • Many Other Activities  Marketing & Early Recruiting • Peer Influence  Bettering the BSA Brand • Small Age Window for Membership  Recruit Early & Retention • Marketing  Specialized • Appealing to females in non-scouting families • Separation between high-school and college youth

14. Specific Council Actions • JTE Requirements • Council to Include Venturing in their Marketing & Membership Plan • Building a strong Council Venturing Officers’ Association (VOA) • Look to Area 2 VOA for Support, Guidance, Training • Marketing Venturing Activities • Crew, Council and Area Events • Setting Goals • To Track Progress

15. Summary • There is a decline in Venturing Membership – At all levels • There is a great opportunity the increase growth with a focused direction • While there are many challenges in Venturing Recruitment… • …There are many ways to attack the opportunity • But, not without an aggressive recruitment plan, continual monitoring and building a strong council venturing program

16. Thank You for Attending this Session

17. Contact Information GINA CURTIS Gina.Curtis@gmail.com CHRISTINE LUCZKA Christine_Luczka@yahoo.com Bob Koch bobbsa@optonline.net